Interactive display with tactile feedback

ABSTRACT

An electronic device including a housing having a first surface and a second surface, and an interactive display having a keyboard-enabled mode and a keyboard-disabled mode. The interactive display includes a first image display device disposed at the first surface that displays image data, and a physical keypad disposed at the second surface that provides tactile feedback to a user only when the interactive display is in the keyboard-enabled mode, the physical keypad being substantially smooth when the interactive display is in the keyboard-disabled mode.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/840,025, filed on Apr. 3, 2020, and entitled Interactive Display WithTactile Feedback, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/430,544, filed on Jun. 4, 2019, and entitled InteractiveDisplay With Tactile Feedback, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,719,131, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/132,678, filed Sep.17, 2018, entitled Interactive Display With Tactile Feedback, now U.S.Pat. No. 10,459,523, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/369,591, filed Dec. 5, 2016, entitled Interactive DisplayWith Tactile Feedback, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,216,279, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/849,530, filed Aug.3, 2010, entitled Interactive Display with Tactile Feedback, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,513,705, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/353,509, filed Jun. 10, 2010, and which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/759,410,entitled Energy Efficient Interactive Display With Energy RegenerativeKeyboard, filed Apr. 13, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,665,228, the contentsof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to interactive displays for electronicdevices, and in particular to an interactive display that providetactile feedback to a user when the user applies pressure to theinteractive display.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention comprises: a housing comprising a first surface and a secondsurface; an interactive display having a keyboard-enabled mode and akeyboard-disabled mode, the interactive display comprising: a firstimage display device disposed at the first surface that displays imagedata; and a physical keypad disposed at the second surface that providestactile feedback to a user only when the interactive display is in thekeyboard-enabled mode, the physical keypad being substantially smoothwhen the interactive display is in the keyboard-disabled mode.

In at least one embodiment, the first image display device displays animaged keypad comprising imaged keys when the interactive display is inthe keyboard-enabled mode.

In at least one embodiment, the electronic device further comprises asecond image display device disposed at the second surface.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad disposed at the secondsurface comprises one or more physical keys that control activation ofthe imaged keys within the imaged keypad.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad disposed at the secondsurface comprises one or more physical keys that perform a differentfunction from the one or more imaged keys of the imaged keypad.

In at least one embodiment, the electronic device further comprises asensor that detects user interaction with the physical keypad disposedon the second surface; and an image generator that displays within thefirst image display device an imaged representation of the userinteraction with the physical keypad disposed on the second surface.

In at least one embodiment, the sensor comprises one or more of thefollowing sensor types: a motion sensor, a thermal sensor and a pressuresensor.

In at least one embodiment, the imaged representation of the userinteraction comprises an imaged depiction of the user's finger or thumbinteracting with the imaged keypad.

In at least one embodiment, the first and second surfaces are oppositefrom one another.

In at least one embodiment, the first and second surfaces are angledrelative to one another.

In at least one embodiment, the first and second surfaces are adjacentto one another.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad comprises piezoelectricmaterial.

In at least one embodiment, the piezoelectric material is quartz.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad comprisesmagnetostrictive material.

In at least one embodiment, the image display device is selected fromone of the following types of image display devices: liquid crystaldisplays, digital light processor displays, plasma displays and lightemitting diode displays.

In at least one embodiment, the electronic device is selected from oneof the following types of electronic devices: cell phones, personaldigital assistants, gaming devices, e-books, automatic teller machinesand data input devices.

An electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention comprises: a housing comprising a first surface and a secondsurface; and an interactive display having an interactive mode and anon-interactive mode, the interactive display comprising: an imagedisplay device disposed at the first surface of the housing thatdisplays a user-interactive imaged keypad in at least a portion of theimage display device when the interactive display is in the interactivemode and that displays other image data in the at least a portion of theimage display device when the interactive display is in thenon-interactive mode; a substantially transparent physical keypaddisposed at the second surface of the housing that provides tactilefeedback to a user indicating location of keys within the imaged keypad;a sensor that detects user interaction with the physical keypad; and animage generator that displays an imaged representation of the userinteraction with the physical keypad within the imaged keypad.

In at least one embodiment, the sensor comprises one or more of thefollowing sensor types: a motion sensor, a thermal sensor and a pressuresensor.

In at least one embodiment, the imaged representation of the userinteraction comprises an imaged depiction of the user's finger or thumbinteracting with the imaged keypad.

An electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention comprises: an interactive display having an interactive modeand a non-interactive mode, the interactive display comprising: an imagedisplay device that displays a user-interactive imaged keypad in atleast a portion of the image display device when the interactive displayis in the interactive mode and that displays other image data in the atleast a portion of the image display device when the interactive displayis in the non-interactive mode; and a substantially transparent physicalkeypad that provides tactile feedback to a user indicating location ofone or more imaged keys within the imaged keypad in response to one ormore actuators disposed below the image display device.

An electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention comprises: a housing comprising a first surface and a secondsurface; and an interactive display having an interactive mode and anon-interactive mode, the interactive display comprising: an imagedisplay device disposed at the first surface of the housing thatdisplays a user-interactive imaged keypad in at least a portion of theimage display device when the interactive display is in the interactivemode and that displays other image data in the at least a portion of theimage display device when the interactive display is in thenon-interactive mode; and a substantially transparent physical keypaddisposed at the second surface of the housing that provides tactilefeedback to a user indicating location of keys within the imaged keypad.

In at least one embodiment, the first and second surfaces are oppositefrom one another.

In at least one embodiment, the first and second surfaces are angledrelative to one another.

In at least one embodiment, the first and second surfaces are adjacentto one another.

In at least one embodiment, the image display device is structured so asto form a seal for the electronic device.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad comprises one or morephysical keys corresponding to the imaged keys.

In at least one embodiment, the image display device and the physicalkeypad are integral to one another.

In at least one embodiment, the one or more physical keys are made ofsubstantially transparent material so that the imaged keys may be viewedwithin the one or more physical keys.

In at least one embodiment, the imaged keypad comprises one or moresub-keypads, each of the one or more sub-keypads being selectivelyactivated.

In at least one embodiment, one or more portions of the physical keypadare selectively activated to correspond to the one or more sub-keypads.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad provides tactilefeedback only when the interactive display is in the interactive mode.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad comprises piezoelectricmaterial.

In at least one embodiment, the piezoelectric material is quartz.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad is made of amagnetostrictive material.

In at least one embodiment, the image display device is selected fromone of the following types of image display devices: liquid crystaldisplays, digital light processor displays, plasma displays and lightemitting diode displays.

In at least one embodiment, the image display device is a touchscreenimage display device.

In at least one embodiment, the physical keypad comprises physical keysthat extend through corresponding openings in the touchscreen imagedisplay device.

In at least one embodiment, the one or more actuators move at least oneof the physical keypad and the touchscreen display device relative toone another so that the one or more physical keys protrude through theopenings in the touchscreen display device when the interactive displayis in the interactive mode.

In at least one embodiment, one or more of the physical keys eachcomprises one or more magnetic elements.

In at least one embodiment, the touchscreen display device comprises oneor more charged electrical circuit elements so that movement of the oneor more physical keys comprising the one or more magnetic elementsrelative to the charged electrical circuits elements generateelectricity.

In at least one embodiment, the electronic device further comprises aprotective layer disposed between the physical keypad and the at leastone magnetic actuator to prevent damage to the magnetic actuatorresulting from contact with the physical keys.

In at least one embodiment, the electronic device is selected from oneof the following types of electronic devices: cell phones, personaldigital assistants, automatic teller machines and data input devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and related objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood by reference to the following,detailed description of the preferred, albeit illustrative, embodimentof the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are front views of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an interactive display according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of an interactive displayaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of an interactive displayaccording to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an electronic device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are plan views of an electronic device according toanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing an interactivedisplay according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of operation of an interactivedisplay according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12B is a detailed cross-sectional view of a section of theinteractive display shown in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14B is a plan view of the interactive display of FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15A is a back view of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15B is a front view of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15C is a back view of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15D is a front view of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are cross-sectional views of an interactive displayaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17A is a back view of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17B is a front view of an electronic device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 18A and 18B are cross-sectional views of an interactive displayaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of an interactive display according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The present invention is directed to an electronic device including aninteractive display having an interactive mode in which auser-interactive keypad is displayed in at least a portion of theinteractive display and a non-interactive mode in which other image datais displayed in the portion of the interactive display. The interactivedisplay includes a substantially transparent keypad portion thatprovides tactile feedback to allow the user to locate individual keyswithin the keypad portion. The present invention is applicable to anyelectronic device having a touchscreen display, including, for example,personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, automated tellermachines (ATMs), computers (including laptop and desktop computers),gaming devices, television monitors, video conferencing equipment,e-books (e.g., Amazon Kindle™ and Barnes & Noble Nook™) remote controldevices and any general data input device.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are front views of an electronic device, generallydesignated by reference number 1, according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. In the present embodiment, the electronicdevice 1 may be, for example, a PDA, cell phone, a gaming device orother hand-held mobile device. The electronic device 1 includes ahousing 10 and an interactive display 20. The housing 10 protects theinternal electronic components of the electronic device 1, and clips orother similar elements may be disposed on the outside of the housing 10to allow the electronic device to be attached to an object.

In FIG. 1A, the electronic device 1 is in an interactive mode. In thismode, an interactive keypad 22 is displayed within a portion of theinteractive display 20. The interactive keypad 22 includes one or moreimaged keys 26. Each imaged key 26 may be “pressed” by a user to inputdata to the electronic device 1 by applying physical pressure to theinteractive display 20 over the imaged key 26. Such “touchscreen”technology is well known in the art, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,815,141, 6,297,811, and 5,784,054, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. One or more other images may bedisplayed in other portions of the interactive display 20. Also, in theinteractive mode, the interactive display 20 includes physical keys 28,such as, for example, bumps, ridges, indented regions or any other typeof physical alteration that provides tactile feedback to a user, thatcorrespond with the imaged keys 26 within the interactive keypad 22.

In FIG. 1B, the electronic device 1 is in a non-interactive mode. Inthis mode, the interactive keypad 22 is not displayed within theinteractive display 20 and one or more other images may fully occupy theinteractive display 20. Also, in the non-interactive mode, theinteractive display 20 may be automatically modified so as not toinclude the physical keys 28 (i.e., the interactive display 20 may becompletely smooth). Alternatively, the physical keys 28 may be formedpermanently within the interactive display 20. A switch (not shown) maybe provided through the housing 10 to allow a user to alternate theelectronic device 1 between the interactive mode and the non-interactivemode.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an interactive display, generally designated byreference number 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. The interactive display 100 is shown held within aframe element 110. The interactive display may include one or morephysical keys 145. As explained in further detail below, the top surfaceof the physical keys 145 may be level with the top plane of theinteractive display 100 when the interactive display 100 is in thenon-interactive mode, and the top surface of the keys 145 may be movedoutside the top plane of the interactive display 100 when theinteractive display 100 is in the interactive mode so that bumps orprotrusions are formed in the interactive display 100 that correspondwith displayed imaged keys.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of the interactive display 100taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3A, the interactive display 100is in the non-interactive mode, and in the FIG. 3B, the interactivedisplay 100 is in the interactive mode. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, theframe element 110 may include a bottom wall 112, side walls 114, 115 andtop walls 116, 117. The interactive display 100 may be housed within theframe element 110 with the bottom surface of the interactive display 100resting on the bottom wall 112 of the frame element 110. The interactivedisplay 100 may include a display device 130, a physical keypad 140including the physical keys 145 disposed over the display device 130,and a touchscreen panel 150 disposed over the physical keypad 140.

The display device 130 may be any suitable display device, such as, forexample, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a digital light processing(DLP) display, a plasma display or a light-emitting diode (LED) display,to name a few. As is known in the art, the display device 130 mayinclude programmable elements that emit and/or block light to generateimages. In the present embodiment, the display device 130 may display animaged keyboard when the interactive display 100 is in the interactivemode.

The physical keypad 140 is a generally flat sheet or plate. The physicalkeys 145 are formed on the top surface of the physical keypad 140, andextend upwards towards the touchscreen panel 150. The physical keypad140 is preferably made of a transparent material, such as, for example,plastic or glass. Any number of physical keys 145 may be formed on thephysical keypad 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the number and shape ofthe physical keys 145 are made to correspond to the number and shape ofthe imaged keys in the imaged keyboard displayed by the display device130.

The touchscreen panel 150 may be a transparent panel that generates aprogramming signal when pressure is applied to one or more areas on thetouchscreen panel 150. Various programming signals generated by thetouchscreen panel 150 may be sent to the display device 130, resultingin formation or manipulation of images in the display device 130. Forexample, a user may apply pressure to the touchscreen panel 150 toactivate the imaged keyboard and place the interactive display 100 inthe interactive mode. Any suitable touchscreen technology may be usedfor the touchscreen panel 150, such as, for example, resistivetouchscreens, surface acoustic wave touchscreens, capacitivetouchscreens, infrared touchscreens, strain gauge touchscreens, opticalimaging, dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition, totalinternal reflection, and diffused laser imaging, to name a few.

The touchscreen panel 150 may include a number of openings 152 thatcorrespond with the physical keys 145 of the physical keypad 140. Thephysical keys 145 extend through the openings 152. When the interactivedisplay 100 is in the non-interactive mode, the top surfaces of thephysical keys 145 may be co-planar with the top surface of thetouchscreen panel 150. When the interactive display 100 is in theinteractive mode, the top surfaces of the physical keys 145 may beraised or lowered relative to the top surface of the touchscreen panel150, so that the touchscreen panel 150 includes a number of protrusionsor indentations that correspond to the imaged keys in the imaged keypad.Thus, when the interactive display 100 is in the interactive mode, auser is able to feel the location of the various imaged keys based onthe tactile feedback provided by the protrusions or indentations in thetouchscreen panel 150.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, first and secondactuators 160, 162, located on either side of the frame element 110, maybe used to manipulate the physical keypad 140 and thereby raise andlower the physical keys 145 relative to the touchscreen panel 150. Thefirst and second actuators 160, 162 may be any suitable actuators, suchas, for example, mechanical actuators, such as springs,microelectromechanical devices (MEMS), piezoelectric actuators andmagnetostrictive actuators, to name a few. It should be appreciated thatthe number of actuators is not limited to two, and any number ofactuators located at any suitable position relative to the physicalkeypad 140 may be used to raise and lower the physical keypad 140.Alternatively, the actuators 160, 162 may be used to raise and lower thetouchscreen panel 150 rather than the physical keypad 140.

In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the physicalkeys in the physical keypad may all be connected to the physical keypadso as to form a unitary structure, with no independent movement of thephysical keys. Alternatively, each physical key may be independentlymoveable relative to the physical keypad and the other physical keys sothat each physical key may have the ability to be physically “pressed”by a user. In this regard, each physical key may include, for example, aspring mechanism or may itself be made of a resilient material that isable to flex under pressure from a user's finger/thumb. The physicalkeypad may also use conventional keypad technology, such as, forexample, dome-switch keypad technology, so that manipulation of eachphysical key results in a corresponding function.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross sectional views of an interactive display,generally designated by reference number 200, according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4A, theinteractive display 200 is in the non-interactive mode, and in the FIG.4B, the interactive display 200 is in the interactive mode. As in theprevious embodiment, the interactive display 200 may be housed within aframe element 210 including a bottom wall 212, side walls 214, 215 andtop walls 216, 217. The interactive display 200 may includes a displaydevice 220, a touchscreen panel 230 disposed over the display device220, and a physical keypad 240 disposed over the touchscreen panel 230.As in the previous embodiment, the display device 220 may be, forexample, an LCD display, a DLP display, a plasma display or a LEDdisplay. The touchscreen panel 230 may use any of the touchscreentechnology as described regarding the previous embodiment.

The physical keypad 240 in the present embodiment may include physicalkeys 245 defined by a material that changes shape under the influence ofan electric or magnetic field. For example, the physical keys 245 may bemade of a piezoelectric material, such as, for example, quartz, or amagnetostrictive material, such as, for example, ferromagnetic thinfilms. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the physical keys 245are defined by a grid structure 246 of piezoelectric material formedwithin the physical keypad 240. Thus, the grid structure 246 may eitherdeflect downwards or upwards under the application of an electric field,thereby forming protrusions or indentations around the physical keys245. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4B, the grid structure 246 isstructured so as to deflect upwards when an electric field is applied,thereby forming protrusions that define the physical keys 245. Thus, inthe interactive mode, the user is able to feel the location of thephysical keys 245. Deformation of the physical keys 245 in thisembodiment may also result in generation of electricity, which may befed back to the interactive display 200 as a power source.

It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited tothe above described embodiments. For example, in other exemplaryembodiments, each physical key may be made of two or more pieces oftransparent material that are made to deflect relative to one anotherwhen the interactive display is switched between the interactive andnon-interactive modes so as to form appropriate protrusions orindentations in the interactive display that demark the physical keys.In such an embodiment, an additional transparent layer may be disposedover the physical keypad, so that when the two or more pieces ofmaterial that form the physical keys are deflected, smooth bumps orindentations are formed in the transparent layer.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A-B, the interactive display of thepresent invention may include any number and shape of imaged andphysical keys. In particular, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, anelectronic device 300, such as a personal digital assistant, may includean interactive display 320 that provides a full keypad 322, includingphysical keys 328 corresponding with imaged keys 326, when in theinteractive mode. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, anelectronic device 400, such as an ATM, may include an interactivedisplay 420 that provides a partial keypad 422, including physical keys428 corresponding with imaged keys 426, when in the interactive mode. Inthe case of ATMs, the imaged keys 426 may be displayed in variousshapes. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the electronic device 400 maydisplay imaged keys 426 that are generally square shaped, while in FIG.6B the electronic device 400 may display imaged keys 426 that aregenerally rectangular shaped. The physical keys 428 of the electronicdevice 400 may be made to mirror the different shapes of the imaged keys426. In this regard, controlled magnetic and/or electric fields may bedelivered to the physical keypad of the electronic device 400 to resultin the appropriately shaped physical key 428.

In other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the interactivedisplay may include separate regions, where one or more regions areinteractive and one or more other regions are not interactive. Further,the interactive display may be composed of more than one display, whereone or more of the displays are interactive and one or more otherdisplays are not interactive.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method, generally designated byreference number 500, of manufacturing an interactive display accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the presentmethod, various layers of the interactive display may be disposed overone another and adhered to one another to provide a unitary structure.For example, one or more of the various layers may be laminated to oneanother. In step S502, a physical keypad having physical keys isdisposed over a display device. The display device may be any suitabledisplay device, such as, for example, an LCD display, a DLP display or aLED display, to name a few. The physical keypad may include, forexample, permanent physical keys or be constructed of material thatresults in generation of temporary physical keys upon application of anelectric or magnetic field to the physical keypad. In step S504, atouchscreen panel is disposed over the display device. The touchscreenpanel may have one or more openings through which physical keys of thephysical keypad may protrude. In step S506 an actuator assembly isoperably attached to the physical keypad and/or the touchscreen panel.The actuator assembly may be controlled to deliver an appropriatemagnetic or electric field to the physical keypad so as to generatetemporary physical keys. Alternatively, the physical keypad and thetouchscreen panel may be movable relative to one another through controlof the actuator assembly, in which case the actuator assembly mayinclude any suitable actuator that provides translation forces, such as,for example, springs, MEMS devices, and piezoelectric actuators, to namea few.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of operation, generallydesignated by reference number 600, of an interactive display accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In step S602, theinteractive display generates a first control signal instructing theinteractive display to switch into an interactive mode. In step S604,based on the second control signal, a display device of the interactivedisplay displays user-interactive imaged keys of an imaged keypad. Instep S606, based on the first control signal, a physical keypad of theinteractive display is controlled to provide physical keys thatcorrespond with the imaged keys of the imaged keypad. In step S608, theinteractive display generates a second control signal instructing theinteractive display to switch into a non-interactive mode. In step S610,based on the second control signal, the display device replaces theimaged keypad with other image data. In step S612, based on the secondcontrol signal, the physical keypad of the interactive display iscontrolled so as not to provide physical keys.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional views of an interactive display, generallydesignated by reference number 700, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiment, theinteractive display 700 may be housed within a frame element 710including a bottom wall 712, side walls 714, 715 and top walls 716, 717.The interactive display 700 may includes a display device 720, atouchscreen panel 730 disposed over the display device 720, and aphysical keypad 740 disposed over the touchscreen panel 730. As in theprevious embodiment, the display device 720 may be, for example, an LCDdisplay, a DLP display, a plasma display or a LED display. Thetouchscreen panel 730 may use any of the touchscreen technology asdescribed regarding the previous embodiment.

The physical keypad 740 in the present embodiment may include physicalkeys 245. The physical keys 745 are preferably transparent and may beintegrally formed with the remaining portions of the physical keypad 740by a molding operation. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 9, thephysical keys 245 protrude outwards away from the display device 720.However, in other exemplary embodiments, the physical keys 245 mayprotrude inwards towards the display device 720.

As shown in FIG. 9, the physical keys 745 on the right side of thephysical keypad 740 may include top surfaces that are inclined towardsthe right, and the physical keys 745 on the left side of the physicalkeypad 740 may include top surfaces that are inclined towards the left.This arrangement prevents a user's finger from sliding off a physicalkey 745 onto an adjacent physical key 745. There may also be additionalspace provided between the left side physical keys 745 and right sidephysical keys 745 to allow for better viewing of the image when theinteractive display 700 is in the non-interactive mode.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional views of an interactive display, generallydesignated by reference number 800, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiments, theinteractive display 800 may be housed within a frame element 810including a bottom wall 812, side walls 814, 815 and top walls 816, 817.The interactive display 800 may includes a display device 830, aphysical keypad 840 disposed over the display device 830, and atouchscreen panel 850 disposed over the physical keypad 840. Thephysical keys 845 of the physical keypad 840 may protrude throughopenings in the touchscreen panel 850 when the interactive display 800is in the interactive mode. As in the previous embodiments, the displaydevice 830 may be, for example, an LCD display, a DLP display, a plasmadisplay or a LED display. The touchscreen panel 850 may use any of thetouchscreen technology as described regarding the previous embodiments.

In the present embodiment, an actuator element 860 is disposed below thedisplay device 830. The actuator element 860 may be any type of suitableactuator, such as, for example, piezoelectric actuators ormagnetostrictive actuators. It should be appreciated that the number ofactuators is not limited to one, and any number of actuators located atany suitable position relative to the physical keypad 840 may be used toraise and lower the physical keypad 845. Alternatively, the actuatorelement 860 may be used to raise and lower the touchscreen panel 850rather than the physical keypad 840. The structure of the presentembodiment allows the display device 830 to be sealed with the frameelement 810 so as to protect the actuator element 860 and other internalcomponents from being damaged.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional views of an interactive display, generallydesignated by reference number 900, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiments, theinteractive display 900 may be housed within a frame element 910including a bottom wall 912, side walls 914, 915 and top walls 916, 917.The interactive display 900 may include an actuator element 960, aprotective layer 930 disposed over the actuator element 960, one or moresub-keypads 940 disposed over the protective layer 930, and atouchscreen display device 950 disposed over the sub-keypads 940. Theuse of the touchscreen display device 950 eliminates the need for aseparate touchscreen panel, as in previous embodiments. The sub-keypads940 may be individually operated by the actuator element 960, so thatdifferent ones of the physical keys 940 may be made to protrude throughopenings in the touchscreen display device 950. Thus, as an example,different physical keys 940 may provide tactile feedback to a userdepending on the functional mode of the interactive display 900.Although each sub-keypad 940 is shown in FIG. 11 having only onephysical key 945, it should be appreciated that each sub-keypad 940 mayhave any number of physical keys 945.

The protective layer 930 is disposed between the sub-keypads 940 and theactuator element 960 so as to prevent damage to the actuator element 960that may otherwise result from contact with the sub-keypads 940. Theprotective layer 930 may be made of any suitable protective materialthat does not interfere with the function of the actuator element 960,such as, for example, felt, cotton, plastic, insulators, cushioningmaterial, etc. The protective material can even be air in oneembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional views of an interactive display, generallydesignated by reference number 1000, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiments, theinteractive display 1000 may be housed within a frame element 1010including a bottom wall 1012, side walls 1014, 1015 and top walls 1016,1017. The interactive display 1000 may include an actuator element 1060,a physical keypad 1040 disposed over the actuator element 1060, and atouchscreen display device 1030 disposed over the physical keypad 1040.As in the previous embodiment, the physical keypad 1040 may be made upof separate sub-keypads (not shown). Further, a protective layer (notshown) may be disposed between the physical keypad 1040 and the actuatorelement 1060.

In the present embodiment, each key 1045 of the physical keypad 1040forms part of the touchscreen display device 1030. In this regard, atouchscreen display element 1048 may be disposed within each key 1045,so that images, such as corresponding imaged keys, may be displayed oneach key 1045 as part of the overall image displayed by the touchscreendisplay device 1030.

FIG. 12B is a detailed cross-sectional view of a section of theinteractive display 1000. As shown in this figure, a connective element1070 may be disposed at the base of each key 1045 so as to provide fordelivery of appropriate signals to the key 1045 to display an imagewithin the corresponding touchscreen display element 1048.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a section of an interactivedisplay, generally designated by reference number 1100, accordingly toanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As in previousembodiment, the interactive display 1100 may be disposed within a frameelement (not shown). The interactive display 1100 includes an actuatorelement 1160, a protective layer 1170 disposed over the actuator element1160, a physical keypad 1140 disposed over the protective layer 1170 anda touchscreen display device 1130 disposed over the physical keypad1140. A portion 1135 of the touchscreen display device 1130 may bedisposed within each key 1145 of the physical keypad 1140. In thisregard, the keys 1145 of the physical keypad 1140 may be substantiallytransparent, so that the portions 1135 of the touchscreen display device1130 may be viewed through the top of each key 1145.

FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view of a section of an interactivedisplay, generally designated by reference number 1200, accordingly toanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As in theprevious embodiment, the interactive display 1200 may be disposed withina frame element (not shown). The interactive display 1200 includes anactuator element 1260, a protective layer 1270 disposed over theactuator element 1260, a physical keypad 1240 disposed over theprotective layer 1270 and a touchscreen display device 1230 disposedover the physical keypad 1240. A permanent magnet 1280 is disposedwithin each key 1245 of the keypad 1240. One or more charged electricalcircuit elements 1290 may be disposed within the touchscreen displaydevice 1230 adjacent each key 1245. In an exemplary embodiment, thecharged electrical circuit elements 1290 may be electromagnetic coils,and, as shown in FIG. 14B, the permanent magnets 1280 within each key1245 may pass through a respective one of the electromagnetic coils.Movement of the key 1245, and hence the permanent magnet 1280, within acorresponding opening within the touchscreen display device 1230relative to the charged electrical circuit elements 1290 results ingeneration of electricity. The movement of the keys 1245 may be due toswitching of the interactive display between the interactive mode andthe non-interactive mode, and may also result from user manipulation ofthe keys 1245. The generated electricity may be fed back to theinteractive display 1200 as a power source.

FIGS. 15A-15D are various views of an electronic device, generallydesignated by reference number 2000, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, theelectronic device 2000 may be, for example, a PDA, cell phone, or otherhand-held mobile device. The electronic device 2000 includes a housing2010 and an interactive display 2020.

FIGS. 15A and 15B show the electronic device 2000 in a keyboard-enabledmode. In particular, FIG. 15A is a back view of the electronic device2000 in the keyboard-enabled mode, and FIG. 15B is a front view of theelectronic device 2000 in the keyboard-enabled mode.

As shown in FIG. 15A, when the electronic device 2000 is switched to thekeyboard-enabled mode, the back surface 2012 of the electronic deviceincludes a physical keypad 2022 made up of physical keys 2028. As inprevious embodiments, the physical keys 2028 may be formed by, forexample, bumps, ridges, indented regions or any other type of physicalalteration that provides tactile feedback to a user. At the same time,as shown in FIG. 15B, the interactive display 2020 disposed at the frontsurface 2014 of the electronic device 2000 may generate an imaged keypad2024 made up of imaged keys 2026. However, it should be appreciatedthat, when the electronic device 2000 is in the keyboard-enabled mode,the imaged keypad 2024 need not be made available. For example, theinteractive display 2020 may display other types of image data, such as,for example, selectable menus or moving video game images. In anexemplary embodiment, each of the imaged keys 2026 displayed on thefront of the electronic device 2000 may correspond to a respective oneof the physical keys 2028 disposed at the back of the electronic device2000. In this regard, the imaged key 2026 corresponding to a pressedphysical key 2028 may be shown as being activated, such as by, forexample, illumination, change of size, or visual distortion of thecorresponding imaged key 2026. Such an arrangement allows a user to“view” within the imaged keypad 2024 which physical keys 2028 are beingpressed by the user, even though the physical keypad 2022 is disposed onthe side of the electronic device 2000 that is actually out of view fromthe user.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the imaged keypad 2024 at thefront of the electronic device 2000 and the physical keypad 2022 at theback of the electronic device 2000 together form a combination keypadmade up of imaged keys 2026 and physical keys 2028, where the imagedkeys 2026 perform functions different from those of the physical keys2028. For example, the physical keys 2028 may include modifier keys,such as “control” and “shift” keys, lock keys, such as “num lock” and“caps lock”, navigation keys, such as arrow keys, “page up/page down”and “home/end”, and editing keys, such as “return”, “enter”,“backspace”, “insert”, “delete”, “tab” and space bar, while the imagekeys 2026 may include alphanumeric keys. In other embodiments, thisconfiguration may be reversed, so that the image keys 2026 includemodifier, navigation, lock, editing and navigation keys, while thephysical keys 2028 include alphanumeric keys. Also, in otherembodiments, the imaged keys 2026 and physical keys 2028 may include anysuitable arrangement of modifier, navigation, lock, editing andalphanumeric keys. The combination of imaged keys 2026 and physical keys2028 having varying functions and disposed on opposite surfaces of theelectronic device 2000 allows for the use of both thumbs and fingers tomanipulate the keys. For example, the fingers on the underside of theelectronic device 2000 may be used to input letters and numbers, whilethe thumbs on the top of the electronic device 2000 may be used tocontrol spacing, paragraph changes, etc. The imaged keys 2026 andphysical keys 2028 may be rearranged based on user preference, so thatthe user is able to choose which keys are available on differentsurfaces of the electronic device 2000. For example, the user may chooseto arrange certain keys that are typically activated by the user's thumbon one surface of the electronic device 2000 and certain keys that aretypically activated by the user's fingers on another surface.

FIGS. 15C and 15D show the electronic device 2000 in thekeyboard-disabled mode. In particular, FIG. 15C is a back view of theelectronic device 2000 in the keyboard-disabled mode, and FIG. 15D is afront view of the electronic device 2000 in the keyboard-disabled mode.In the keyboard-disabled mode, the physical keypad 2022 at the backsurface 2012 is automatically modified so as not to include the physicalkeys 2028 (i.e., the physical keypad 2022 may be completely smooth).Alternatively, the physical keys 2028 may be formed permanently withinthe physical keypad 2022. Also, in the keyboard-disabled mode, theimaged keypad 2024 may not be displayed within the interactive display2020 and one or more other images may fully occupy the interactivedisplay 2020.

The physical keypad 2022 and imaged keypad 2024 may operate the same asin other exemplary embodiments of the present invention describedherein, except that the physical keys 2028 provide tactile feedback tothe user on a surface of the electronic device 2000 that is differentfrom a surface on which the imaged keypad 2024 is displayed. Forexample, the physical keys 2028 may be automatically manipulated byactuators or through the use of material for the physical keys 2028 thatchanges shape under the influence of an electric or magnetic field. Inthis regard, FIGS. 16A and 16B are cross-sectional views of aninteractive display 2100 according to another exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention. In FIG. 16A, the interactive display 2100 is inthe keyboard-disabled mode, and in the FIG. 16B, the interactive display2100 is in the keyboard-enabled mode. The interactive display 2100 maybe housed within a frame element 2110 made up of a bottom wall 2112,side walls 2114, 2115 and top walls 2116, 2117. The interactive display2100 may be housed within the frame element 2110 with the bottom surfaceof the interactive display 2100 resting on the bottom wall 2112 of theframe element 2110. The interactive display 2100 may include a physicalkeypad 2140 including physical keys 2145, a display device 2130 disposedover the physical keypad 2140, and a touchscreen panel 2150 disposedover the display device 2130.

The display device 2130 may be any suitable display device, such as, forexample, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a digital light processing(DLP) display, a plasma display or a light-emitting diode (LED) display,to name a few. As is known in the art, the display device 2130 mayinclude programmable elements that emit and/or block light to generateimages. In the present embodiment, the display device 2130 may displayan imaged keyboard when the interactive display 2100 is in thekeyboard-enabled mode.

The physical keypad 2140 is a generally flat sheet or plate. Thephysical keys 2145 are formed on the top surface of the physical keypad2140, and extend downwards towards the bottom wall 2112 of the frameelement 2110. The physical keypad 2140 may be made of a transparentmaterial, such as, for example, plastic or glass. Any number of physicalkeys 2145 may be formed on the physical keypad 2140. In an exemplaryembodiment, the number and shape of the physical keys 2145 are made tocorrespond to the number and shape of the imaged keys in the imagedkeyboard displayed by the display device 2130.

The touchscreen panel 2150 may be a transparent panel that generates aprogramming signal when pressure is applied to one or more areas on thetouchscreen panel 2150. Various programming signals generated by thetouchscreen panel 2150 may be sent to the display device 2130, resultingin formation or manipulation of images in the display device 2130. Forexample, a user may apply pressure to the touchscreen panel 2150 toactivate the imaged keyboard and place the interactive display 2100 inthe interactive mode. Any suitable touchscreen technology may be usedfor the touchscreen panel 2150, such as, for example, resistivetouchscreens, surface acoustic wave touchscreens, capacitivetouchscreens, infrared touchscreens, strain gauge touchscreens, opticalimaging, dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition, totalinternal reflection, and diffused laser imaging, to name a few.

The bottom wall 2112 of the frame element 2110 may include a number ofopenings 2152 that correspond with the physical keys 2145 of thephysical keypad 2140. The physical keys 2145 extend through the openings2152. When the interactive display 2100 is in the keyboard-disabledmode, the top surfaces of the physical keys 2145 may be co-planar withthe bottom surface of the bottom wall 2112. When the interactive display2100 is in the keyboard-enabled mode, the top surfaces of the physicalkeys 2145 may be raised or lowered relative to the top surface of thebottom wall 2112, so that the bottom wall 2112 includes a number ofprotrusions or indentations that correspond to the imaged keys in theimaged keypad. Thus, when the interactive display 2100 is in thekeyboard-enabled mode, a user may be able to feel the location of thevarious imaged keys based on the tactile feedback provided by theprotrusions or indentations in the bottom wall 2112.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, first and secondactuators 2160, 2162, located on either side of the frame element 2110,may be used to manipulate the physical keypad 2140 and thereby raise andlower the physical keys 2145 relative to the bottom wall 2112. The firstand second actuators 2160, 2162 may be any suitable actuators, such as,for example, mechanical actuators, such as springs,microelectromechanical devices (MEMS), piezoelectric actuators andmagnetostrictive actuators, to name a few. It should be appreciated thatthe number of actuators is not limited to two, and any number ofactuators located at any suitable position relative to the physicalkeypad 2140 may be used to raise and lower the physical keypad 2140.

FIGS. 17A-17B are various views of an electronic device, generallydesignated by reference number 3000, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, theelectronic device 3000 may be, for example, a PDA, cell phone, or otherhand-held mobile device. The electronic device 3000 includes a housing3010 and an interactive display 3020. The electronic device 3000 mayhave structural components that are the same as those of the electronicdevice 2000 of the previous embodiment, except for additional componentsas described below that allow a user to view the motion of the user'sfingers or thumbs underneath the electronic device 3000.

FIGS. 17A and 17B show the electronic device 3000 in thekeyboard-enabled mode. In particular, FIG. 17A is a back view of theelectronic device 3000 in the keyboard-enabled mode, and FIG. 17B is afront view of the electronic device 3000 in the keyboard-enabled mode.As shown in FIG. 17A, when the electronic device 3000 is switched to thekeyboard-enabled mode, the back surface 3012 of the electronic deviceincludes a physical keypad 3022 made up of physical keys 3028. As inprevious embodiments, the physical keys 3028 may be formed by, forexample, bumps, ridges, indented regions or any other type of physicalalteration that provides tactile feedback to a user. At the same time,as shown in FIG. 17B, the interactive display 3020 disposed at the frontsurface 3014 of the electronic device 3000 may generate an imaged keypad3024 made up of imaged keys 3026. However, it should be appreciatedthat, when the electronic device 3000 is in the keyboard-enabled mode,the imaged keypad 3024 need not be made available. For example, theinteractive display 3020 may display other types of image data, such as,for example, selectable menus or moving video game images. In anexemplary embodiment, each of the imaged keys 3026 displayed on thefront of the electronic device 3000 may correspond to a respective oneof the physical keys 3028 disposed at the back of the electronic device3000. In this regard, the imaged key 3026 corresponding to a pressedphysical key 3028 may be shown as being activated, such as by, forexample, illumination, change of size, or visual distortion of thecorresponding imaged key 3026. Such an arrangement allows a user to“view” within the imaged keypad 3024 which physical keys 3028 are beingpressed by the user, even though the physical keypad 3022 is disposed onthe side of the electronic device 3000 that is actually out of view fromthe user. Also, in the present embodiment, as the user moves histhumb/finger over the physical keys 3028, an imaged representation 3030of the user's thumb/finger is displayed within the imaged keypad 3024,or if the imaged keypad 3024 is not displayed, the imaged representation3030 may be shown relative to other displayed image data within theinteractive display 3020. The imaged representation 3030 may be asilhouette of the thumb/finger, as shown in FIG. 17B, or any othersuitable representation, such as, for example, “blurred” or shadowedspots moving across the imaged keypad 3024 that follow the movement ofthe user's fingertips within the physical keypad 3022.

The physical keypad 3022 and imaged keypad 3024 may operate the same asin the previous exemplary embodiment. That is, the physical keys 3028may provide tactile feedback to the user on a surface of the electronicdevice 3000 that is different from a surface on which the imaged keypad3024 is displayed. For example, the physical keys 3028 may beautomatically manipulated by actuators or through the use of materialfor the physical keys 3028 that changes shape under the influence of anelectric or magnetic field. In this regard, FIGS. 18A and 18B arecross-sectional views of an interactive display 3100 according toanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 18A, theinteractive display 3100 is in the keyboard-disabled mode, and in theFIG. 18B, the interactive display 3100 is in the keyboard-enabled mode.The interactive display 3100 may be housed within a frame element 3110made up of a bottom wall 3112, side walls 3114, 3115 and top walls 3116,3117. The interactive display 3100 may be housed within the frameelement 3110 with the bottom surface of the interactive display 3100resting on the bottom wall 3112 of the frame element 3110. Theinteractive display 3100 may include a physical keypad 3140 includingphysical keys 3145, a display device 3130 disposed over the physicalkeypad 3140, and a touchscreen panel 3150 disposed over the displaydevice 3130.

The display device 3130 may be any suitable display device, such as, forexample, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a digital light processing(DLP) display, a plasma display or a light-emitting diode (LED) display,to name a few. As is known in the art, the display device 3130 mayinclude programmable elements that emit and/or block light to generateimages. In the present embodiment, the display device 3130 may displayan imaged keyboard when the interactive display 2100 is in thekeyboard-enabled mode.

The physical keypad 3140 is a generally flat sheet or plate. Thephysical keys 3145 are formed on the top surface of the physical keypad3140, and extend downwards towards the bottom wall 3112 of the frameelement 3110. The physical keypad 3140 may be made of a transparentmaterial, such as, for example, plastic or glass. Any number of physicalkeys 3145 may be formed on the physical keypad 3140. In an exemplaryembodiment, the number and shape of the physical keys 3145 are made tocorrespond to the number and shape of the imaged keys in the imagedkeyboard displayed by the display device 3130.

The touchscreen panel 3150 may be a transparent panel that generates aprogramming signal when pressure is applied to one or more areas on thetouchscreen panel 3150. Various programming signals generated by thetouchscreen panel 3150 may be sent to the display device 3130, resultingin formation or manipulation of images in the display device 3130. Forexample, a user may apply pressure to the touchscreen panel 3150 toactivate the imaged keyboard and place the interactive display 3100 inthe keyboard-enabled mode. Any suitable touchscreen technology may beused for the touchscreen panel 3150, such as, for example, resistivetouchscreens, surface acoustic wave touchscreens, capacitivetouchscreens, infrared touchscreens, strain gauge touchscreens, opticalimaging, dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition, totalinternal reflection, and diffused laser imaging, to name a few.

The bottom wall 3112 of the frame element 3110 may include a number ofopenings 3152 that correspond with the physical keys 3145 of thephysical keypad 3140. The physical keys 3145 extend through the openings3152. When the interactive display 3100 is in the keyboard-disabledmode, the top surfaces of the physical keys 3145 may be co-planar withthe bottom surface of the bottom wall 3112. When the interactive display3100 is in the keyboard-enabled mode, the top surfaces of the physicalkeys 3145 may be raised or lowered relative to the bottom surface of thebottom wall 3112, so that the bottom wall 3112 includes a number ofprotrusions or indentations that correspond to the imaged keys in theimaged keypad. Thus, when the interactive display 3100 is in thekeyboard-enabled mode, a user is able to feel the location of thevarious imaged keys based on the tactile feedback provided by theprotrusions or indentations in the bottom wall 3112.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, first and secondactuators 3160, 3162, located on either side of the frame element 3110,may be used to manipulate the physical keypad 3140 and thereby raise andlower the physical keys 3145 relative to the bottom wall 3112. The firstand second actuators 3160, 3162 may be any suitable actuators, such as,for example, mechanical actuators, such as springs,microelectromechanical devices (MEMS), piezoelectric actuators andmagnetostrictive actuators, to name a few. It should be appreciated thatthe number of actuators is not limited to two, and any number ofactuators located at any suitable position relative to the physicalkeypad 3140 may be used to raise and lower the physical keypad 3140.

The interactive display 3100 may also include a sensor 3170 that detectsuser interaction with the physical keypad 3140. The sensor 3170 may beany known or later-discovered sensor that is able to detect the presenceand/or motion of the digits of a user's hand relative to the physicalkeypad 3140. The sensor 3170 may be, for example, a motion sensor, athermal sensor or a pressure sensor, or any combination of a variety ofsensors. The sensor 3170 may generate electrical signals based on thedetected user interaction, and the generated signals may be sent to animage generator. The image generator may use the generated signals todisplay in the imaged keypad 3023 an imaged representation of the userinteraction. Thus, even though the user's thumbs or fingers may be outof view behind the electronic device 300, the user will still have theability to determine the location of his thumbs or fingers relative tothe physical keys 3145 by viewing the imaged representation in theimaged keypad 3023. In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device3000 may include a switch to allow the user to selectively activate theimaging of user interaction within the imaged keypad 3023. In exemplaryembodiments of the invention, the sensor 3170 may include a number ofindividual sensors, where each sensor corresponds to a particularphysical key 3145 within the imaged keypad 3140.

As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the bottom surface of the bottom wall3112 may include protrusions 3180 that are able to support theelectronic device 3100 on a surface. In this regard, the protrusions3180 may prevent any one of the physical keys 3145 from beinginadvertently activated by contact of the electronic device 3100 withthe surface.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional views of an interactive display 4100according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. InFIG. 19, the interactive display 4100 is in the keyboard-disabled mode.The interactive display 4100 may be housed within a frame element 4110made up of a first surface walls 4112, 4113, side walls 4114, 4115 andsecond surface walls 4116, 4117. The interactive display 4100 includes afirst surface display device 4130 and a first surface touchscreen panel4150 disposed over the first surface display device 4130. As inpreviously described embodiments, the display device 4130 may display animaged keyboard when the interactive display 4100 is in thekeyboard-enabled mode, where the imaged keyboard includes a number ofimaged keys. However, it should be appreciated that the imaged keyboardneed not be displayed when the interactive display 4100 is in thekeyboard-enabled mode.

The interactive display 4100 may also include a physical keypad 4140, asecond surface touchscreen panel 4160 disposed over the physical keypad4140, and a second surface display device 4180 disposed over thetouchscreen panel 4160. The physical keypad 4140 in the presentembodiment may include physical keys 4145 defined by a material thatchanges shape under the influence of an electric or magnetic field. Forexample, the physical keys 4145 may be made of a piezoelectric material,such as, for example, quartz, or a magnetostrictive material, such as,for example, ferromagnetic thin films. In the embodiment shown in FIG.19, the physical keys 4145 are defined by a grid structure 4146 ofpiezoelectric material formed within the physical keypad 4140. Thus, thegrid structure 4146 may either deflect downwards or upwards under theapplication of an electric field, thereby forming protrusions orindentations around the physical keys 4145. Thus, in thekeyboard-enabled mode, the user is able to feel the location of thephysical keys 4145. Any number of physical keys 4145 may be formed onthe physical keypad 4140. In an exemplary embodiment, the number andshape of the physical keys 4145 are made to correspond to the number andshape of the imaged keys in the imaged keyboard that may be displayed bythe first surface display device 4130. Thus, when the interactivedisplay 4100 is in the keyboard-enabled mode, a user is able to feel thelocation of the various imaged keys based on the tactile feedbackprovided by the physical keys 4145.

As in the previous embodiment, the interactive display 4100 may alsoinclude a sensor 4170 that detects user interaction with the physicalkeypad 4140. The sensor 4170 may generate electrical signals based onthe detected user interaction, and the generated signals may be sent toan image generator. The image generator may use the generated signals todisplay in the imaged keypad an imaged representation of the userinteraction.

Now that the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and described in detail, various modifications and improvementsthereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is to beconstrued broadly and limited only by the appended claims and not by theforegoing specification.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable device comprising: an interactivedisplay that comprises: an image display device disposed at a surface ofthe portable device, the image display device configured to display aplurality of imaged keys; a sensor that detects user interaction withthe interactive display; and an image generator that displays within theimage display device an imaged representation of the user interaction,wherein, with each user interaction, the imaged representation indicatesactivation of a corresponding one of the plurality of imaged keys;wherein the interactive display has a keyboard-enabled mode in which theplurality of imaged keys are provided with tactile feedback and theimaged representation of the user interaction; and wherein theinteractive display has a keyboard-disabled mode in which the pluralityof imaged keys are not provided with tactile feedback.
 2. The portabledevice of claim 1, wherein the imaged representation comprisesillumination, change of size, or visual distortion of one or more of theplurality of imaged keys.
 3. The portable device of claim 1, furthercomprising one or more actuators configured to generate the tactilefeedback.
 4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein the one or moreactuators comprise springs.
 5. The portable device of claim 3, whereinthe one or more actuators comprise piezoelectric actuators.
 6. Theportable device of claim 3, wherein the one or more actuators comprisemagnetostrictive actuators.
 7. The portable device of claim 1, whereinthe image display device is selected from one of the following types ofimage display devices: liquid crystal displays, digital light processordisplays, plasma displays and light emitting diode displays.
 8. Theportable device of claim 1, wherein the portable device is a cell phone.9. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the portable device is ahand-held device.
 10. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the sensorcomprises a thermal sensor.
 11. The portable device of claim 1, whereinthe sensor comprises a pressure sensor.